Customer Reviews

Uno's Garden

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Uno decides to live in the forest surrounded by lush plants and unique animals. But first a village, then a town, and finally a city supplant his garden, make the animals disappear, and crowd out the plants with buildings. Uno and the city residents finally realize the damage people can do to a natural environment simply by living in it -- and how important it is to the environment that people live in harmony with the plants and animals around them. Imaginatively written and superbly illustrated by Graeme Base, "Uno's Garden" presents to young readers the critically important story of what damage we can do to the land we live on, the animals we live with, and how nature can repair that damage if we help it and allow it through community-based approaches to conservation and environmental restoration. "Uno's Garden" is a welcome and important addition to family, school, and community library picturebook collections and Environmental Studies reference shelves for young readers.

When I look for children's books, I try to choose books that can be enjoyed on different levels as a child gets older, a book that can be shared by older and younger siblings or a book that has a worthy message. This one has it all: Its a picture book filled with lush (and humorous) images that invite stories to be created without relying on the words on the page. It is a story book about the need for balance in nature. It is a math book that goes from counting to addition and subtraction to multiplication. I gave it to my 2nd-grade-teacher husband and its one of the most popular books in his classroom.

My 3 and hald year old loves this book! The ilustrations are wonderful. He adores all the weird-cool names for the different creatures. He loves looking for the Snortlepig. At this point some of the arthmetic is a bit above his head, but we use the book to reinforce his counting skills. As he grows older we can start getting into the progressions.

Graeme Base never ceases to amaze me. He's so darned versatile. I don't have children, but I love his illustrations. "Uno's Garden" has a different look about it in a lot of places, but boy does the message pack a punch? This is a sweet and poignant story that deserves to be read by adults as well as children. You'll laugh at the Lumpybums (I laugh at my own lumpy bum) and be saddened by the loss of the snortlepig. Do not give up hope as Mr. Base assures us...somehow he will be back. A wonderful, wonderful story. Thank you once again Graeme!

Another unique, creative and artistically composed flight of fantasy by Graeme Base. I've been a great fan since Animalia and own all of his creations. Of course my children are much older, but I purchase his works for my own enjoyment and to share with the young nieces and nephews. The atwork is up to his exceptional detail, color and imagination.

While all of Graeme Base's book are great, this one is my favorite. It teaches children about different species on the planet and how humans can live in harmony with them (and what happens if we don't). The graphical representations at the top of the pages are great, too!

I believe history will show Graeme Base to be one of the greatest artistic geniuses of our time, if not all time. His able to integrate artwork which is both visually stunning and intricately witty with a storyline that is plausible, meaningful and thoughtful (and entertaining to boot!). "Uno's Garden" is not one of my personal favorites among his works, but it is still an excellent work of children's literature. Like all Graeme Base works, it can be appreciated on many levels.

The storyline of this book is one of Base's heavier-hitting Message books. A lone man, Uno, arrives in a jungle wilderness full of plants and animals and decides to stay. He puts up a small building, then his children and later arrivals put up more and more and larger and larger buildings. Meanwhile, the numbers of plants and animals steadily decreases, until finally there are no plants or animals left - not even the snortlepig. The people wonder why they live in such a desolate place, so they leave. All that's left is the small patch of garden that Uno had been tending.

Eventually the plants and animals start coming back. The kinds and sizes of the buildings also change until one day civilization and nature are in perfect balance. In a final fold-out double spread, all the animals have come back, except the snortlepig - or has he? The Message is not that people = bad and nature = good, but rather that the two must be in balance or both will suffer.

Like other Graeme Base books, the artwork is stunning. Elaborately detailed, one can look at it for hours and still find new treasures to appreciate. Unlike other Base books, however, this is not predominately a hidden picture book. The snortlepig gets harder and harder to find, and at the end it is a true hidden picture, but that is the only one.

And, again, like other Graeme Base books, this book is appropriate for kids of all ages. For younger kids, it can be a simple counting book. But older kids can understand and appreciate the various sequences Base uses. The animals disappear by simple subtraction - one fewer on each page from ten to zero. The plants are squared (10 X 10 = 100; 9 X 9 = 81, etc.), so they start off much more numerous, but disappear faster. The number of buildings doubles on each page, so growth starts off slow, but increases rapidly by the end. These sequences illustrate the difficulty of achieving a harmonious balance.

Highly recommended for any library, including and especially home collections. 4.5 stars.

I was fortunate to meet Graeme Base at a book release/signing for Uno's Garden in Tampa. I have loved and owned his books for years, my first being "Sign of the Seahorse". I also have "Animalia", "Jabberwocky", and "The Discovery of Dragons".

All of his books have the most amazing artwork with wonderful stories with worthwhile morals. A wonderful addition to any library - child or adult.

Not only was the book another masterpiece from Base but my boys LOVED it as did I! One of the best authors for children ever and his illustrations are delicous!

I fell in love with Graeme Base when I stumbled across Sign of the Seahorse on a bargain clearance table. Since then I have purchased all of his books and as each new one comes out, I add them to our library. I know my girls will want these books for their kids. When I brought home 1 copy of Uno's Garden, my 4 yr old wanted clarification on exactily who the owner of the book was. Now I'm buying in triplicate! The story is sweet, the art is amazing, and the math concepts worked in are an added bonus. Love it!